With Dough, managing and growing your Twitch stream has never been easier. Dough is a digital marketplace connecting artists, editors, designers and sponsors with Twitch streamers worldwide. It offers how-to guides and resources for beginner streamers, tools for tracking payments and jobs, stream analysis, and an extensive search tool for finding your perfect team.

We had a chat with the brains behind the business, Alex Martin, to find out more.

What’s the story behind how Dough got started?

I started Dough after hearing Just9n vent to Shroud over a stream one day. He went on about how he has several sponsors interested in working with him but how he doesn’t have the time to deal with it. I realised that not only do streamers lack a proper way to connect with sponsors but also that there’s no way for them to find Twitch artists and editors in the one place.

What is Dough’s primary mission; what is it trying to solve in the Twitch streaming space?

Unfortunately with streaming, most of people’s time is dedicated to that, so our goal is to help people run their Twitch stream like a business. We’re creating a way for streamers to analyse their stream, find sponsors and connect people through an art marketplace. The reality is that not everyone is going to get sponsored, but by helping people learn to create quality stream production using art, audio and scenes they can grow their audiences to get there.

What are some of the problems in finding sponsors and artists?

Finding a sponsor on your own is like looking for a black cat in a coal cellar. Not only do you need to message hundreds of companies to get a response, but they may not be willing to pay you what you want, have exclusive terms that present conflict with future sponsors, and you and your viewers may not even like the brand itself.

Finding freelancers and artists to work for you presents a whole new set of problems. First, you have to browse dozens of profiles looking for someone that can make the right type of art, or that has the right experience for your job. Next, you have no way of knowing if they have a good track record since Discord communities don’t post their ratings.

After that, you need to pay them for their service – some dodgy artists can take your money and run without giving you what you paid for. This works the other way, too, with artists often creating and giving their art to clients without getting paid for it. Artists can prevent this by watermarking their files, but this takes extra time – our service can automatically watermark them for you.

What process do you use to connect streamers with relevant sponsors?

The sponsorship process is quite simple. After setting up a profile with us, you’ll have access to an online marketplace offering sponsorships that are relevant to you. You can easily sort and match with brands that you and your community care about. Once you have a sponsor you can update your sponsor using integrated tools that makes your job quick and keeps your sponsor happy!

How do you work with streamers to help them create Twitch artwork that benefits their audience?

Our goal is to connect streamers with verified artists via the easy-to-use marketplace. Get online, browse artist profiles, the packages they offer, their work history and portfolios and then make your purchase! All you have to pay for is the art – browsing is free.

What do you see in the future of Twitch streaming and how do you see Dough expanding to facilitate these developments?

I really see Twitch being a major part, if not the core, of future entertainment. I see Dough serving as the key way to connect brands, streamers and artists in order to create a better livestream experience for everyone.

Dough is a leading digital marketplace for Twitch users worldwide. If you’re interested in improving your stream and connecting with designers, editors and brands, check out Dough at https://dough.gg